VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[tackerman]

I'm shaking up my current signal chain.

Rode NTK->Mackie 1220/Firewire card->DAW

I'm happy with the mackie 1220's pre but there are issues.

#1. The FW interface is not reliable/stable in my current configuration. Lots of pops and clicks. I've tried every latency/clocking/patch/fix I can find and I still can't resolve the problem. I've got new cables coming today and I plan on pulling the FW card out of the chain and running the mackie straight into my M-Audio 2496 in the DAW.

#2. As clean as the pres are on the mackie I've really got to crank the gain to get a decent level. I'm thinking about upgrading to a higher end pre like a Great River, Avalon M5, etc. Lately I've really had my eye on the John Hardy M-1.

Any feedback on potential problems running that with my proposed chain/setup? I'd like to keep the mixer in the chain so I can add my phone patch and ISDN.

[Bill Campbell]

I like the idea of using the mixer straight into your soundcard.

My experience says the slight differences in sonic qualities between your Mackie pre-amps and the high end stuff is not great enough to warrant the expense, for voice-over work.

Your set up would be more than fine for any production house.
Room acoustics will play a larger role than an expensive pre-amp.

My opinon, of course. Yoda will be lurking.
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[steveanthony]

If you do head down the path of the new pre, either the Great River or the John Hardy will serve you well.

[marko]

Avalon 737st.

There is no substitute.

[tackerman]

The 737 certainly is nice but also pricey. If I'm not doing production work and sticking to dry voice isn't a channel strip overkill?

[Edo]

I've been using the TLA 5051 tube preamp for a number of years now, and it sounds way more expensive than the 700 or so it retails for. I picked mine (a used demo) up for a little under 300 dollars (210 euro) I also have a Millennia STT-1 but that's more like a Rolls Royce with ditto price tag If you wanna find out what the pros and cons are, I did a review of the STT-1 a while ago. It's in the learn section.

[Lance Blair]

In test drives I prefer the John Hardy to the Great River. The GR is growly and will bring out sibiliance, the M-1 is smooth and clean...it depends on what you want. I just picked up the True Systems P-Solo and I love it (very clean, but not as glassy as the Grace 101). It retails for $600-$700, but I got a very new used one (they only started making them two years ago) for $400.

You don't need a channel strip if you have a great pre - the sound is going to come out great and leave it to the client's engineers to let it sit in their mixes. I would definitely buy an M-5, but I wouldn't necessarily buy a 737. I'd rather have two different flavored $900 preamps than a 737.

Anyhow, all the pres you listed are great for voiceover, I'd take the M-1. I like the TLA 5051 alot too for voice. Heck, all of the preamp upgrades listed so far in this thread are great.

The difference between a Mackie and a higer end dedicated preamp is very noticeable, especially for voice. Even a low to mid range dedicated preamp if chosen wisely is going to sound miles better than the Mackie. Mic choice is important, but I swear that a decent $300+ LDC mic going into a strong dedicated mic preamp is going to be better than a $1500+ mic going into a Mackie. You can't run a car well if the tires are low on air.
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and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[mcm]

Lance, you are very poetic when you write about pre-amps.

I've been eyeing the John Hardy M-1 for about 2 years and finally realised last week "I can has one" and it's on its way.

[Lance Blair]

Thanks, I love the John Hardy and the fact that he makes them to order in his house in suburban Chicago. I would have bought the JH, but I couldn't pass on the True for 40% of the price of the JH and sounds excellent. I'll pick up the JH next year, my next upgrade this year will be a mic.
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[SvenChi]

Just ask the same question on other VO forum regarding using GreatRiver for VO and after I read your post-I'm become suspicous regarding GR : ))

Since I already have a very nice and transparent preamp (MetricHalo ULN2) I want preamp with "balls" and little bit of colour (for SM7 and bright condenser such as Brauner Phantom AE) and, before I read your post, I thought I had a clear winner - GR!!! But now ........

[quote="Lance Blair"]In test drives I prefer the John Hardy to the Great River. The GR is growly and will bring out sibiliance, the M-1 is smooth and clean...it depends on what you want.

[Deirdre]

There's another VO forum?

/obligatory
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IMDB

[Yoda117]

There's no other forum... you know that

Personal favorites for me at the GR, Hardy, STT-1 (with Tele tubes), 610 (Mullards or Teles have worked best for me with those). PRQR1 and LMNOPre are also favorites, but might be considered pricey for those looking for a single channel preamps (still, I love mine).

I'm also liking the Buzz Elixir and the API 512.

If you're willing to spend the $, Fearn and Requisite.

Avalon 737... not bad, but get a good clean preamp and add some HF and you've got your 737. That said, it's become a standard for a reason...

Long story short, so long as it's a clean preamp (but not sterile), you're in good shape.
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Voiceovers by Gregory Houser
Philadelphia based Voice Actor

Blog - A man, a martini, and a lot of microphones

[tackerman]

The saga continues. Got some monster cable. Took the FW out of the chain. Hooked the Mackie up through the 2496. I can record w/ Audacity but AA 1.5 won't record. Not a pip.
Called M-Audio tech support and the guy said, "Oh yeah, we've been having issues with the 2496 and 1.5. You probably won't be able to use it."
So now I... upgrade the sound card/Upgrade to AA 3.0/buy a USB mic/bang my head on the mixer till something works? Gaaahhh!

[Yoda117]

For now, why don't you record with Audacity and do your processing through AA?

Not the greatest fix, but it works.

Personally, I chose a Lynx card over the M-Audio when I tried this experiment a year back. Just had a better track record, and I trust the company more (and the fact that it did precisely what I needed it to do).

Boy, I was sad giving that card up... guess I'll have to get one of my own sometime down the road
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Voiceovers by Gregory Houser
Philadelphia based Voice Actor

Blog - A man, a martini, and a lot of microphones

[tackerman]

That's exactly what I'm doing! I just hate extra steps and having stuff that's supposed to work but doesn't.